Although his voice sounded aged and weathered by time, Qian Daoliu looked only thirty or forty. He was handsome, with a faint smile on his face.
He was tall but not particularly muscular, dressed in a plain gray robe. His long black hair hung down his back, neatly groomed.
Despite Qian Daoliu's simple clothing, merely standing there, he inspired an urge to bow down in worship.
"Tang Hao, I've finally found you."
Qian Daoliu's tone seemed calm, but everyone present could hear the fury buried within it.
At the sight of Qian Daoliu, Tang Hao's pupils contracted. Like a mouse spotting a cat, he turned and fled.
"I'll remember what happened today! Su Bai, I'll kill you!"
Qian Daoliu stood suspended in midair, in no hurry to pursue him. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Su Bai, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"So young, yet you've already reached the Soul Ancestor realm-and you even managed to escape from that fellow Tang Hao."
"Good. Very good."
"A promising seedling."
With that, he vanished from where he stood, moving so swiftly that he left afterimages trailing through the air.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei landed beside Su Bai, their eyebrows raised.
"Not bad, kid. Getting the Great Enshrined to say all that-you really are young and accomplished."
"Which Soul Master Academy are you studying at? Interested in joining Spirit Hall?"
Curiosity shone in their eyes. Across the entire Douluo Continent, there were probably only a handful of people who could become Soul Ancestors as young as Su Bai.
Su Bai shook his head and answered honestly, "I'm on my own at the moment. I haven't joined any academy."
"As for joining Spirit Hall..."
"I'll pass."
Su Bai had no interest in joining Spirit Hall.
Rather than living under someone else's roof and watching their expressions before acting, he preferred the freedom of being his own master.
Besides, with a Martial Soul as unusual as his, he would spread the Spirit Pagoda far and wide sooner or later. How could he possibly settle for being subordinate to Spirit Hall?
Yue Guan and Gui Mei showed little reaction to his refusal, merely nodding.
After all, no matter how gifted Su Bai was, he was still only a Soul Ancestor.
As Titled Douluos, what sort of genius hadn't they seen?
Although Su Bai ranked among the very best, the two men knew full well that only a living genius could truly be called a genius.
Every year, countless geniuses died for all sorts of reasons.
"In that case, I won't force the issue."
Without saying much more, Gui Mei tossed a bag of gold coins from his sleeve.
"These are ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, as your reward. With your current strength, giving you any more would only harm you."
"Spirit Hall will remember what you did today."
His meaning was perfectly clear.
Spirit Hall would remember this favor!
Su Bai put away the coins, thoroughly satisfied.
The Gold Soul Coins were secondary. As a transmigrator, he could easily make money if he wanted to. What mattered more was that last statement.
Spirit Hall wielded immense influence, with branches in every major city across the Douluo Continent. Having its help in promoting the Spirit Pagoda would surely yield twice the results for half the effort.
Suddenly, Yue Guan leaned closer, his eyes still brimming with curiosity.
"Kid, just what did you do to make Tang Hao so furious?"
"That doesn't look like any ordinary grudge between you two. Provoking a Titled Douluo to that extent takes some doing."
Su Bai merely smiled faintly at those words.
"I don't know. Maybe he just doesn't like the look of me."
He had no intention of telling them the real reason. If Xiao Wu's identity were exposed now, it would cause enormous trouble.
Seeing that Su Bai wouldn't tell the truth, Yue Guan curled his lip.
"Fine. Tell us or don't, as you please."
With that, he turned and followed Gui Mei in the direction Qian Daoliu had gone.
After everyone from Spirit Hall left, Su Bai didn't linger either. He headed toward the Star Luo Great Forest.
A week later, in the Star Luo Great Forest.
An enormous ape ambled along, looking down at Su Bai. A beautiful pink-haired girl sat on his shoulder.
They were none other than Er Ming and Xiao Wu.
Er Ming stared at Su Bai, his eyes wide with confusion.
Why does this little fellow seem so strong?
If Xiao Wu hadn't kept saying that Su Bai was his good friend, Er Ming would have gone over to test his strength against the boy long ago.
"Xiao Wu, have you made up your mind?" Su Bai asked slowly, looking at her. "You can travel the continent with me while staying in the Spirit Pagoda, too."
Xiao Wu shook her head, rejecting his suggestion. Her eyes were full of reluctance to part, yet her resolve was firm.
"I've made up my mind. I'll stay in the Star Luo Great Forest and cultivate until I reach the mature stage before going out."
"With my current strength, staying by your side would only bring you trouble, unless I stayed inside the Spirit Pagoda all the time."
"But if I did that, how would it be any different from not going out at all?"
"Besides, we've already formed a contract, so we can communicate whenever we want. This is better for both of us."
Su Bai said nothing more and nodded.
He didn't particularly like forcing others. Since Xiao Wu had said as much, he would respect her wishes.
After those few words, Xiao Wu reluctantly jumped down and hugged Su Bai. Cupping his face in both hands, she kissed him before turning to leave.
"Su Bai, I'll come find you soon!"
Su Bai remained where he stood, watching Er Ming carry Xiao Wu away. Only when their figures disappeared from sight did he turn and leave.
He didn't leave the Star Luo Great Forest. Instead, he set up camp on its outskirts.
Su Bai's Soul Power had already reached the peak of rank forty-nine, and he could break through at any moment.
As luck would have it, it was now the rainy season.
Looking at the dark clouds overhead, Su Bai couldn't help smiling.
This would make it easier to find the fourth Soul Spirit he had chosen for himself.
The Thunderclap Hellvine!
Of the three Soul Spirits Su Bai currently had contracts with, the Blue Silver Emperor provided recovery, the Soft Bone Rabbit provided speed, and the Golden Lion Mastiff provided strength.
The Thunderclap Hellvine he planned to choose next, however, offered ultimate destruction and ultimate lightning.
The Golden Lion Mastiff possessed formidable strength, but its offensive methods were limited. After forming a contract with it, Su Bai had discovered that almost all its Soul Skills enhanced strength, leaving its advantages and disadvantages glaringly clear.
The disadvantage was that, when using the Golden Lion Mastiff, raw strength was his only forte.
The advantage was that his strength was truly immense.
The Thunderclap Hellvine had no such problem. As a lightning-attribute Soul Beast, it possessed ranged attacks that perfectly suited Su Bai's needs.
With an absurdly powerful Martial Soul like the Spirit Pagoda, Su Bai naturally wanted no weaknesses. Ideally, he would be both tough and hard-hitting, capable of offense and defense, at range and up close.
However, the Thunderclap Hellvine was no easy Soul Beast to find. Su Bai was already prepared for a long stay in the Star Luo Great Forest.
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